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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1922)
feign Nhieteeft. " Thrilling Story of the Applegate Train, First Big Immigration to Oregon Country East Oregonian Round-TTp Souvenir Edition Pendleton, Oregon, Thursday, September 21, 1922. (Continued from page IT.) the iiliility of private individuals. i Fort lloise. A party, consisting off From Salmon Fulls the route lay Whitman ami his nephew, l.ovejoy, i across an expanse of sago plains to lint they miscalculated distance and ' 1 ' ! three miles of Whitm.m's station obstacles, and found, whin the Kocky .forward. U-avlnR written notices by j Indians steal Homv. Mountains were pa -sed, that with!1"1- "a 01 " course to ue i.uveu A( rjrand nond, Whitman was met by a courier from l-upwai with in- migratiou encamped within foot-sore cattle and wornout horses. b.v wagons, which came alter at they had still the 1110a trying part 1:1 rilU' of 13 11,11 ta il 'l! notwith of the journey before them; am! I st;u,llin' the toughness of the arto thereupon doubts began to assail ! Imslil inul depth of the sand. At them of t lie wisdom of attempting 'Pert I'.oise they were kindly 1'eceiv- to curry out their original plans of l,y '-'.vette, but could not tarry, making a roud to the 1'aeific, with!us " w;,s ul'''udy Septeniber 211. the risk of being caught in the1 ''"oiding the Snake Kiver, where i! storms of autumn anions the moun-i ,,ils " "een necessary to have a tains, and having to abandon their ! ,t'ITV' 1,y ''aising the wagon-beds a property there 'few inches on blocks, they reached Yet upon mature deliberation, with the spirit that impelled them to set out as founders 01' empire, they per- sevpr, rl in tlu.ii- ,I..t. ...i.,. reach the Columbia. River 'with ,,ii1!"rnt niver '"v- "5 ti.io ....,,,.1,. i -1 , ... I st ream whose bed was used for to this conclusion thev w.-re in in. I . . .. enced by the advice of Whitman and the encouragement of William Fowler, one of the emigrants who Wd been in Oregon before. Fowler was a western man, and understood muen uctter than hitman what ox- the west side in safety. Following 1 down the river, encountering no seri ous obstructions for three days, on ; September 24 they reached the miles in : length, through which ran a small road for the greater part of tin iv.v;-, there being no time to clear i away from the banks the masses of : fallen and l.urnt ti'ees floni which : the river way named. I l ike (.land Komi. teams could do. i The tirst grading reuuired on any Whitman Chosen (iuiile. j1,alt r llle ,'0,,u' l'lom ,he ,nain A pilot was necessary, :md Kern-; ll;l,u' to Uw Columbia was at the eau. a guide of th, u,,,iunu i!.,,. crossing or .ne rurge at tne neal or company, offered his services, which were however declined in favor of Whitman, who deemed himself com petent, with the help of his Cayuses, as act a; guide. A route was murkecl out with the assistance of Uemeair. on which distances, camping-places, and other useful information were carefully noted; and having repaired their wagons, and purchased such liurnt Itivei: and this, too, was the first occasion on which it had been necessary to double teams. From this point the tolls of travel increas ed, the country being rough anil hilly. Nevertheless by October 1 the main hotly of the immigration had arrived at Grand Uonde Valley, which appeared so beautiful, set in its environing pine-dud hills, with ; its rich pasturage and abundant Fiu imics as were neressnrv. a rer a; week or 111 days' rest they resumed watercourses, that a portion of the their march. ' immigrants were deterred from set- There was regular organization'11"15' tlu'''e 'lly ,JV t,u' impossibility after leaving Fort Hall. A few of!o oi:it'linln supplies for the colony the least encumbered took the lead. I durins tlle 'omll,R' winter, on horseback. The California com-1 n 11,0 morning of October 2 two puny, having abandoned their wa-; mches of snow whitened the moun irons, were now mounted, with a truin ital" me" aml W!"'n(!u tlle travellers of pack-animals, and were among not to wlHtl! Precious time. On the the foremost, their pilot, William J. next eveninpr the first ridge had been Martin, conducting the Or egon emi-! cros-SP(,; ani1 oyonil this was still grutlou also, as far as the turn in tho nmin chain of the lilue Moun the Poad toward California, in tire tains covered with heavy timber vicinity of the American lulls 0f;whicn H waK imperative to remove. Snake River. Hluc Mountain Itoad. From this point Whitman assu.11-1 As tnt' sappers and miners ot a ed the duties of guide, conducting I military legion precede the army, a tho ' immigrants down Snake Itiver j fo,'co of the mnyt active and ener to the Salmon Falls where the river luetic of the emigrant legion fell up was crossed in safetv by all except 1 on tnpse barriers to progress, and Miles Eyres, a Scotchman who was j althoujrli their axes were dulled by riding a mule, and who missed the a summer's use, and their hands shallow water of the ford smd ,., were sadly blistered, 40 men in five telligoneo of the alarming illness of .Mr. and Mrs. Spalding, and relin quishing his office of guide to Stie cas, a Cayuse chief in whom he re posed confidence, left the party and struck across the country to the sta tion. Sticcas faithfully performed his duty, bringing the white men, to whom, as we know his people were anything but friendly, safely to the vicinity of the mission. For this service many were un grateful, for two reasons: it took-; them 4 5 miles out of their course; and exposed them to the annoying peculations of the 'natives, who not only Intruded into their camps by day, but stole (heir horses at nighf in order to obtain a reward for re turning them a practice which was repeated every 24 hours. The great ambition of the natives along the Columbia, as elsewhere. was to secure tlle clothing worn by white men. Lewis and Clarke men tion seeing odd garments, evidently obtained from trading vessels on the coast, iu the possession of these na tives as early as J 805. and which must have been purchased from tin- ( Indians on the lower Columbia. After the Oregon immigration began they were to be seen arrayed in cast off wearing ajiparel of every descrip tion, presenting a mntled and fan tastic appearance. They gladly sold whatever they had for shirts, dresses or hats; but as stealing and selling back a horse to its owner was a more productive plan, it was great ly altected by the Cayuses. A Shirt for a Home, Kaiser in his narrative complains of these practices, nnd says that at the mission he called a council of chiefs, and told them that he had paid his last shirt for having his horses returned by the thieves, and that hereafter when he found one of them about his camp after dark he would shoot him. This warning was not without its effect, llurnett also speaks of paying a shirt for sexorai successive mornings to get back the same animal; and Waldo, m his cynical style, remarks that the immigrants had no trouble with the natives until they encountered tho mission Indians. When Whitman arrived at T.ap- drowncd. Think Ta:i'er I, oiks. dreaded Blue Mountains, the wagons r. M. MeCarver" who was in theia,ul herds following as the road was lead with a small company, as thev j opened, hoys and women driving the approached the falls was startled byteanls whoso owners were clearing the way. On October 5, ami while the emi gration was in the mountains, a se vere snow storm was experienced, which made the beautiful valley of the Umatilla thrice beautiful by con trast when the travellers arrived on days cleared a wagon road over the wai Hf. found Mr. and Mrs. Spalding what he mistook for a red flag. Thinking there might be hostile In dians in the vicinity, he formed his men for battle, and marching up to the red - signal, discovered it to be a large salmon split open and hoist ed on a pole to notify travellers that there were fish for sale. Thus the evening of the following day at tho danger and difficulties of this the western base. Hero they found portion of the journey disappeared j a Cuyuse village and obtained fresh on approach. J vegetables. On October 10 the im- Drug Stores for Well People Formerly drug stores, as a rule, were fre quented only by those in ill health, but times have changed. The modern drug store of to day supplies the thousand and one needfuls that prevent diseases, and lend to ones, clean liness, comfort and charm. We sell and fill prescriptions with the best drugs obtainable. Our store is modern, in that we supply you with modern needs at moderate prices. Kodaks and Supplies for Your Outing Whether you can afford the cheapest or the higher priced Kodak with the Range finder, we can sell you an Eastman Kodak. Fresh Films Don't risk failure with old films. We sell so many and re new stock so often that you get here only the most ad vanced datings. Developing and Printing We will ' return your film next day at noon if received be fore 1 o'clock the day before. Books for Your Entertainment We carry a very large assortment of the best popular fiction at the popular price. Ivound-Up Souvenirs Pennants from the Round-Up town. Leis with bucking horse, to wear around neck Silk Scarfs, with- bucking horse. I The Book of the Round-Up Let 'er Buck A true story of the passing of the old West, with the history of the Pendleton Round-Up and FIFTY selected photographs. Thompson's Ding Store PENDLETON OREGON ivnt 7iaftcJia 7$m?&s &endfefoni MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. Offers an unexcelled banking service to individuals, cor porations and banks; transacts a general banking busi ness and maintains special departments with facilities of the highest character. , Acts as administrator of estates, or as executor or trus tee under wills. PENDLETON OREGON the Columbia with their wagons and ' finally agreed with McKinley to leave and descend the Columbia in boats. stock. Propositions were mado to their cattlo with him and take orders Whitman accompanied them to bring some members of the company to ' on the Hudson's Hay company for home his wile who was still ut me remain at Waiilatpu, which were re jected on account of the thieving habits of the natives, anil tho diffi culty of taking care of their cattle on so wide a range as the Walla Walla Valley, besides the general de sire to reach their destination that year. Hut at I'ort Walla Walla, a por- ,' the same number and description of California cattle In the Willamette Valley. Among those making this arrangement was Jesse -Applegnle, who with Waldo owned more stock than any two men In the emigra tion. Waldo proceeded with the. main body to The Dalles by land, while tion of them being still in doubt ! llurnett, !eagle, McClane, the Ap from the representations made to I ple.-fates, and others,' 71 in all, de- them of the difficulties in the Way, elded to take the ad-viee of Whitman Mr. Man! m Your attention is called to a line of Shoes we carry. convalescing-, and hastened to his own station to meet the immigrants and furnish them with supplies, which had to bo brought from Lap wai and Colville, his grain and miU having been destroyed the previous winter. For this service he was cen sured by some and applauded by others. That it was a wise and philanthropic action to give the im migrants an opportunity to purchase fresh provisions, the sequel proved; besides, it was personally known to Whitman that some of them had ex hausted their supplies before reaching- the Columbia. Charge High Triros. Hut whether they were or were not in need, they found the prices at Waiilatpu exorbitant when compared with those of Missouri, and accused Whitman of selfish motives in con ducting the immigration past his sta tion, making them SO additional miles of travel, which, with their worn-out teams and the lateness of tho season, became a matter of seri ous importance. Kaiser was among those who felt themselves injured by being piloted out of their way, and by having to pay a dollar- a bushel lor wheat. Ho obstinate were some, ays llurnett, that they refused to purchase until the wheat was afl gone, in consequence of which he had to divide iris supply with them before t lie end of the journey. There were other causes of dis satisfaction ami subsequent reproach. Neither Whitman, nor McKinley at Fort Walla Walla, knew anything of the country back from the Columbia Kiver, or whether there could be found crossings- for the wagons at the John Hay and lies Chutes rivers; and both advised tire immigrants to leave their wagons and cattle in the Walla Walla Valley to be brought down in the spring, and to make themselves boats in which to des cend tho Columbia. One of the arguments used in fa vor of tills plan was that no grass would be likely to bo found on the route, as the natives were accustom ed at this season of the year to burn It off a statement which suf ficiently proved tile doctor's ignor ance of the country, and which was construed to his advantage by those who travelled through it. Motivr All; Questioned. From a journal of Uurnett's pub lished in a Missouri paper a year or two after the emigration, there seems to have been some ground for sus picions of interested motives in advis ing the immigrants to leave their cat tle. "The residents of the mission iigreefl," says the journal, "in advis ing us to leave our cuttle ami wa gons at the station. McKinley ol Walla Walla also advised us to leave Ihe animals, either to exchange for California cattle, or to pay one dol lar K-r head for their keeping Wlu.t surprised us mo.-t. after 1 1n- I 3 representation that had been made. f wa- a fine pa.sturage we met all ' along the way, and spccially at The I 3 Hallcs, wht-rc we had b-en ld to I believe the cattle could not subsist ! i at all during the winter." i r Applegate (files some further In formation, where he tells us that at the missi-m th.-y received one fat ; bullock of Spanish stoc k for two , poor emigrant oxen. Those who did not distinguish the difference be tween Spanish and American cattle consented willingly to pay thl: price for fat Iw-ef. Without any expense to the nn.-ionati-s they had in th spring two fat American work oxen ;or iteir one bullock. Th natives lid Ix-tter. who gave a fat buliock for a lean better, for breeding pur poses. lt 4n Ih Ia4d. gaioo, me emigntuoa moved tow-ard-uauHiarratHutiitiiiirihiiihttiiiiariiiutiurui'iiitiitutaaiiuiuiumiij.atjiiti.Mi.itwi. i".r " ' from the violence of tho Cayuses, Stccrcnian's Face Pales, llurnett had a Hudson's Hay boat and an Indian pilot. Heaglo, who was with him, was steersman. He was a good boatman, and familiur with tho rapids of the Ohio nt Louis ville; . but tlioso compared to the rapids of tho Columbia were insl(f nlflcant, and llurnett rolutos that llcagle's cheeks' often paled, .though ho obeyed the Intrepid Indian pilot Implicitly,' This party arrived' ii safety ot Tho Dalles. .? Tho Applegato company being: it less manageable eauoea oonstriH'teft by themselves, and less skilfully handled, were not so fortunate, 0110 of their boats overturned In tho rap ids, by wlifch accident a son of Josw so Applegato was drowned, a son of Charles Applegate crippled for life. whllo Kllsha, a son of I.indscy Ap plegate, and William! Duke narrow- ! I (t'oirtiniM-d on page' 0.) "v.-1 Endicott-J ohnson Co. These shoes are best in the long run. If you've ever worn these shoes, you are already familiar with the great amount of travel, service and comfort thev render. If you haven't this is a splendid op portunity to acquaint your feet with them. There is as much difference in the way these and ordinary shoes feel as is between 1st class and steerage traveling. Just see how little it costs to travel 1st class. . . Endicott-Johnson Co. Shoes are of fered in many styles and leathers, the workmanship is of the best; and you get real shoe service, either for dress up wear or work shoes. II i I Let us sell you a pair next time. QUALITY" SERVICE. r -' r 3
